Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

13 reviews

jessgj's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This has been on my radar for a while. I've loved the Tessa Dare books I've read thus far but didn't want to burn through them all quickly. That said, I just DNF'd a book that left me wanting and decided to get back into it. I was not disappointed.

I really appreciate how Dare's books properly start on page one. In another writer's hand, we could have spent more time world-building and spinning our wheels but Dare just launches into the story and asks us to keep up. Instead, the book starts on page one,  immediately showing us Maddy and her worldview through the letters. Unknowingly, this also builds up the believability of the romance because we're drawn into her the same way Logan is. If we kept going with the book after a few of her letters, I can't imagine how he felt after 6 years of letters.

I love the cast of characters (Grant, my dear sweet man) and appreciated how while they're the comic relief, they help humanize Logan and really make you side with him, even when he makes poor choices. They're the proof that he's not as gruff and brutish as he wants you to think he is. And the tragic backstory? Amazing and truly heartbreaking. 

(I don't have a place to mention this but dang, I love a thirsty MC who's like "This isn't just my lusty desire to see a naked person, I'm a SCIENTIST!" It always slaps.)

The ending was a little clunky to me, with extra drama and loose ends to tie up. That said, I didn't mind it too much as I needed to make sure all of my new imaginary friends were okay. I'll definitely be returning to this writer. 

TW: Abandonment, sexual content, panic disorder, PTSD, brief violence and injury, blood, blackmail, off-page deaths, mentions of war and battles,

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and War

uranaishi's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War

kyeruhh's review

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very (verra) cute, and I always appreciate when the grumpy character is in fact grumpy and not mean. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Abandonment

Moderate: Child death and Death

Minor: Death of parent

charitytinnin's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

liviamello's review

funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and War

Moderate: Dementia, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent

margaritaflower's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol and War

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy

lunarxcross's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

wickedgrumpy's review

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The cover and title are admittedly very cringe, however the premise is hilarious.

I had a surprising amount of fun reading this book.  The female main character was quick to invest me in what happened next and her Not Like The Other Girls (TM) vibes were actually pretty endearing since the initial shallowness of "I don't like balls and dancing" ended up having a lot of character depth to it and led to a very sweet moment between her and the main guy.

The prologue started off on an epistolary note and the letters she was writing were so silly that I honestly wouldn't have minded a full documentation of the 4 years worth.

There remain in my heart some qualms about the initial blackmailing situation as well as the semi-sketchy consent issues, but when they finally manage to communicate honestly and trust each other, everything worked out really well.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

cheye13's review

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The writing in this was brilliant and I did read it in one sitting. Other than that, it wasn't particularly special imo. (Except the heroine had a version of my name which was a trip lol)

The characters had chemistry, and I liked the plot just fine. But there was a lot of... convenience? For lack of a better word. In a romance I do expect a level of genre-typical plot convenience (meetcutes, etc) but not in the emotional or character development. There were quite a few scenes where the big, intimidating war captain pushed some boundaries, and readers get his well-meaning inner monologue, but the heroine can't know his intentions, but she just happens to be fine with it?

I guess there was just. Too little communication for me, and it didn't even use the miscommunication trope lmao. A lot of "unsaid" things that just didn't make sense to me. The Scottish thing also felt a little gimmicky, but I did like the little exploration of a woman's career of the time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Medical content

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, and Alcohol

martamae77's review

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy